Disclaimer: I wrote this yesterday, so any references to “yesterday” means Friday.

This week I’ve been catching the bus to work while Talyn gets a facelift. It doubles my travel time to work (at least) and involves catching 2 buses and about 25 minutes of walking.

I alternate between being a complete sook about it, and actually enjoying it. I sook because I have to wake up so much earlier, I get home so much later and because sometimes, people SMELL BAD on the bus. One was so bad, I actually wondered if it was me.

(It wasn’t.)

But then I enjoy catching the bus because I get to read (or at least try to), I can listen to Adele (or a podcast) and I can get in some quality time just people-watching. Or enjoy watching the world as it zooms past.

I get to listen to the high school kids who are all giggly and noisy and talk about things that are both too mature and immature for their age. I listen to the mobile phone conversations about family dramas and how the traffic is making us all late for work. I watch how people standing in the aisle STILL don’t know how to move to the back of the bus, how they don’t move from the front seat for the sweet little nana on her walking stick and how they sit in the aisle seat when the window seat is still empty (and how they get stroppy if you dare to ask to sit next to them).

But I HAVE noticed that more people thank the bus drivers when they’re getting off. That’s nice.

Yesterday was one of those days where buses were running late (or just not turning up) and the traffic was hectic enough to make me late for work. One of my pet hates. It’s a test of my patience and it teaches me that I can’t control everything (not even peak hour traffic).

But by comparison, Thursday was one of those dream days where everything ran perfectly. I thought I’d missed buses, but they were actually running late. The buses were largely empty (hurrah, seat to myself!) and I even had enough time to duck into the servo while I was waiting for the last bus home and was able to enjoy my Snickers bar and bottle of icy cold Coke Zero in relative peace and tranquility at the back of the bus.

NRMA very kindly rang the plastic surgeon yesterday and estimate that Talyn will be ready for me to collect on Tuesday. They originally said Monday, but it’s still better than Wednesday, which was the estimated completion date when the accident actually happened.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a VERY happy reunion when Talyn and I are finally reunited!

Postscript: so now that today is Sunday and Talyn is supposed to be ready Tuesday… this means that tomorrow I can say that I’m “picking the car up tomorrow”